Switch



Aug. 25, 1925. 1,551,213

R. C. PATTON SWITCH Filed Sept 16, 1921 awuewtto'a Pal viz 67172072Patton 1% M m/MW Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFEQE.

RALPH CLIFTON PATTON, F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 PAT'IONMAC'GUYER COMPANY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RHODEISLAND.

SWITCH.

Application filed September 16, 1921. Seria1 No. 501,033.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH C. Pa'r'ron, a citizen of the United States,residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in e lectric switches moreparticularly adapted for use on motor vehicles for controlling the lightand the horn circuits; and the object of this invention is to provide asimple and effective device of this character which may be readilyapplied to the steering wheel of the vehicle within easy reach of thehand of the driver so that by simply pressing downward on one end of thedevice it is caused to tip or rock and complete a corresponding circuitand by pressing down on its opposite end the first circuit may be brokenand another completed, and by positioning the device on neutral bothcircuits may be opened.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a push button in thecasing whereby a separate and independent circuit to the horn may beclosed as often as desired regardless of the relative position of therocking casing.

The invention further consists in the pro vision of a detent forretaining the rockable casing in adjusted position.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, as will be more fully described, andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing Figure lis a top view of my improvedelectric switch.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the switch shown as mounted upon the armof the steering wheel.

Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation of the switch showing the coverin neutral position.

Figure 4 is a top view sectioned on line l l of Figure 8', showing theinternal mechanism.

Figure 5 is a sectional end view sectioned on line 55 of Figure 2.

It isfound in practice desirable to pro vide a simple and practicalswitch for motor vehicles adapted to be readily attached to a spoke ofthe steering wheel adjacent the natural steering position of the hand ofthe operator so that by a simple pressure on either end of the casingthe cover is tipped and a contact made or broken either to light, dim orextinguish the lights as desired, also the horn may be blown all withoutrequiring the operator to remove his hand from the wheel, and thefollowing is a detailed description of one means by which this resultmay be accomplished lVith reference to the drawings, 10 designates thebody portion or". my improved electric switch which is preferably formedvof sheet stock drawn up into substantially trough shape and curved fromend to end to lit the general. curvature of the steering wheel rim 11 ota motor vehicle.

The lower wall or bottom 12 oi this body member is provided withinturned socket portions 13 adapted to be threaded to receive bindingscrews 1.4: by which the device may be clamped or secured to a spoke 15ot the wheel. An opening 16 is also formed in this bottom wall near oneend thereof through which the cable 17 carrying the circuit wires ispassed into the casing and an insulating grommet 9 may be secured inthis hole if desired. I have also secured to this bottom wall a block 18preferably of insulating material by means of a screw 19.

On this blocl: I have mounted a "flexible contact arm 20 extending onan. incline upwardly towards one end of the body and I have attachedanother and independent contact arm 21 to this block to extend upwardlytowards the opposite end of this body member.

on this insulating block. I have also mounted a spring contact strip 22for the purpose presently described. Over this body member oil? theswitch I have placed a cover member 23 which is similar in shape to thebody member but is of 'a little greater length and width and this covermember is pivotally connected to this body member by means of a pin 24-which passes transversely through the side walls of both.

In the upper wall of this cover member I have provided an opening 25 inwhich is mounted a push button 26 of insulating ma. tcrial adapted torest upon and be held in position by the curved contact spring 22.

In order to releasably retain the cover member in adjusted position onthe body member I have provided a detent comprising a bolt 27 settransversely adjacent one end of these members, one end 28 of this boltbeing mounted to slide endways through an inwardly depressed portion 29of the side wall of the body. The opposite end 30 of this belt is inchisel shape and extends through the opposite wall of this body portionto engage any one of a series of depr ssions 31 in the side wall of thecover, the bolt being pressed into engagement with these depressions bya spring 32 whereby when the right end of the cover is presseddownwardly the inner surface at this end of the cover engages thecontact member 20 and so completes an electric cigcuit to the dimlights, the detent at this time entering the upper recess 31 to retainthe cover in that position, and when the left end of the cover isdepressed the detent will snap from one to another of these depressionsto engage the lower one and so i tain the contact member 531 in contawith he under surface of the cover to comp ete a circuit to light thebi' ht or head lig In order to sound the horn it is necessary to pressthe button 26 inward which carries its contact F22 into engagen with thepivot pin 2.4, which pin being in circuit with the metal body POl'tiOll,coniplctes a circuit to the horn causing the same to sound. It will benoted by my inn 7 7 construction that dirt and :toreig-i nr l arecompletely prevented from ge the device, the contacts being al adjacentthe top or under side of the cover thereby effectually preventing dirtfrom lodging hereon; and then again the contacts are of the wiping orsliding type which again sists in keeping them bright and clean.

In securing the device to a spoke of a steering wheel, I may use a clampbar 3? and in this case the spoke may be wound or covered with a stripor layer of insulating material 3-1: and the wire-carrying cable 17 asled out from the casing, may be wound about the spoke, if desired, tothe center, of the wheel and then about the steering post to beconnected to the lamps, the horn and the source of energy.

The device is extremely simple andv practical in construction and isadapted to be readily applied to a spoke of a steering wheelandpositioned to readily engaged by the hand of the operator to beoperated without removing his hand from the wheel to either control thedim or bright lights or to blow the horn.

It will be noted that the horn button projects su'liiciently abovethesurface of the device so that it can be readilyfeltoand found by thehand even in the dark.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the constructionillustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve theprivilegeoi resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the deviceis susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by theterms of the appended claims I claim:

1. An electric switch comprising a troughshaped body member, acorrespondinglyshaped sheet metal cover member having a portion of itswall corrugated to fornr a series of recesses,said cover fitting overand being pivoted to said body, electric contacts i: said body operatedby a tipping movement of said cover to close andopen a circuit, and aspring actuated detent mounted on said body for engaging any one of saidrecesses for retaining said cover in different i. in electric switchcomprising a troughshaped body member, a cover member it ting over andpivoted to said body, electric contacts at, opposite ends of said bodywhereby the tipping of said cover inopposite directions closes andopenscorrespond ing circuits, and a press button in said cover forclosing an independent circuit.

3. An electric switch comprising an elongated trough shaped body member,a corresponding1yshaped cover member inverted over said body bothhaving, their side walls pivotally connected together intermediate theirends, electric contacts located within and adjacent theopposite ends ofsaid body, each to contact with the under side of v its end of the coverwhen the same is tipped downward towards it, a spring-pressed dctenthoused in the body for retaining the cover in any adjusted position. anda cen tralv push button in said cover for completing an independentcircuit.

In testimony whereof I aliix my ature.

RALPH CLIFTON PA'ITOX

